Let it snow
Although ski areas across the West have taken a hit, there's still hope

If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, well, maybe keep on dreaming. In case you haven’t looked out the window lately, it’s a whole lot of brown out there. And, not to be the grinch that stole the white Christmas, but it looks like it’s here to stay – at least for the next few weeks.

“The next several days will feature dry, sunny weather with no new snow,” Open Snow’s Colorado meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote this week. However, there is a glimmer of a Christmas miracle – pattern change is expected around Dec. 26-30. “Snow is possible as a storm over the West Coast might move east toward Colorado. These flakes are not guaranteed, but it is our only hope for significant snow in the next two weeks,” wrote.

But the lack of snow or even consistent temperatures conducive to making it has not dampened local spirits. Yet.

“While we have had a slower start from Mother Nature this season, the mountain is open and skiing and riding very well on the terrain that’s available,” Matt Ericksen, marketing director at Purgatory, said.

The mountain, which delayed its opening by a few weeks, currently has about 26% of its terrain open, with a larger expansion planned in coming days, Erickson said. “We’ll continue opening additional lifts and terrain as conditions allow. We’re also hearing strong feedback from people who’ve been pleasantly surprised by how good the conditions are despite the slow start.”

And while the skiing may be somewhat limited, the resort is making sure there are plenty of off-snow activities to keep the crowds occupied, including visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus, a New Year's Eve torchlight parade and fireworks, snowcat dining excursions, First Tracks Brunch, and other holiday programming that “guests are responding really positively to,” Erickson said.

At Cliffside Sports, a rental shop near Purgatory, reservations for the holidays are looking good, despite the lack of snow. “Considering the weather, we’re looking good. We even had a few walk-ins today,” co-owner Sarah Rome said.

This is the 25th ski season for Sarah and husband, Wes – and in that time, they have seen good snow years and not so good. “But one thing I’ve learned, they always come,” Sarah said. She also added that Purg is unique in that it draws a dedicated, loyal clientele that returns year after year, no matter the conditions.

“We have a weird cult following – maybe not everyone skis – some come in to buy sleds or mittens. They drive 14 hours, roll in, get a cocktail and get their gear,” she said. “We are part of their annual tradition.”

She even tells the story of man who recently took a bus from Albuquerque and hitched a ride up to the mountain to ski for one day, because he heard Chair 3 was opening. And lower lift ticket prices – like other resorts, Purgatory has gone to an online, demand-based pricing system – entices more skiers, particularly beginners and first-timers. 

“People are coming,” she said. “And when lift tickets go down, we get busy.”

As of Wednesday, ticket prices for next week were hovering in the $69-$87 range, shooting up to more than $100 for the weekend and week between Christmas and New Year’s. However, prices dropped as low as $33 midweek in January.

A shaky start

 As of Wednesday, the snowpack in Southwest Colorado was just 57% of normal, according to Sno-Tel data. However, the low-snow conditions are not unique to our area – across Colorado and much of the West, the story is the same. Resorts up and down the Rockies, from Jackson Hole and Big Sky to Taos and Steamboat, are offering only limited terrain.

Even in the Pacific Northwest, which has been hammered with a series of atmospheric rivers recently, the picture is not rosy. According to Ski Area Management magazine (SAM), torrential downpours brought the Pacific Northwest ski season to a grinding halt last weekend, forcing the closure of virtually every ski area in Washington and Oregon.

“Heavy rains and unseasonably high freezing levels have washed away early-season snowpack and triggered widespread flooding, prompting a federal emergency declaration on Dec. 12,” the magazine reported. Snowpack levels across Washington currently sit at just 24% of normal. In Oregon, Mount Bachelor is reporting minimal snow, with officials saying it is one of the slowest starts in recent memory, drawing comparisons to the drought years of 1976 and 2005.

Back in the Intermountain West, the below-average snowfall has conspired with faltering consumer confidence to negatively impact November resort bookings, according to the latest numbers from DestiMetrics. A division of Inntopia, DestiMetrics tracks booking data across 17 mountain communities in Colorado, Utah, California, Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.

According to numbers released this week, the booking pace for the 2025-26 season plunged 19.8% in November over 2024 levels. Furthermore, delayed openings pushed November occupancy down 6.9% compared to November 2024. Overall, the booking pace so far for the entire season is down 3.7% compared to last season.

“Opening day has been pushed back for many resorts and the amount of open skiable terrain around the region is hovering around 11% except for a handful of destinations," Tom Foley, director of business intelligence for Inntopia, told SAM. "And unfortunately, the forecast for much of the region is not looking promising.”

However, there were a few bright spots in the numbers. While visits from our neighbors to the north dropped off significantly, with bookings from Canada down a dramatic 43.9% from last November, bookings from Mexico were up 24.3% over last year. Western European bookings also saw an uptick of 3.3% from last season.

Another positive trend is holiday bookings, with Christmas and pre-New Year’s reservations a bit ahead of last season and post-New Year’s Day occupancy holding steady, according to DestiMetrics.

In addition, Foley noted, consumer confidence among higher income groups remains strong, indicating bookings could rebound if snow improves.

While lodging properties can't control the weather, economy or consumer sentiment, Foley advised the lodging industry to look at things it can control and act accordingly. "This could be the signal for properties to further explore tweaking value-added enticements and incentives that matter to consumers, working with partners on the mountain and in the communities," he said.

As for La Niña, the cooling of the equatorial Pacific that is being blamed for the current pattern (as well as last year’s less-than-fabulous conditions), NOAA says we can expect her to hang around for the next month or two. A swing is predicted to take place January-March 2026 to ENSO-neutral conditions, which may or may not bring relief.

But Gratz advises not to give up hope just yet. Based on past seasons with low December snowpack, there’s about a 50/50 chance of ending up with a below-average snowpack or catching up to or exceeding the average.

“Long-range models show storminess hanging around the West Coast through January, so don't throw in the towel due to the slow start, but I acknowledge that our current situation is (very) frustrating!” he wrote.

And if fancy, computer-generated weather forecasting doesn’t ease your worries, Sarah Rome points to a higher power at work. According to North County and Purgatory lore, in 1965, a shaman came to the ski area – which turns 60 this year – to bless it.

“Whatever they did, it worked. It always snows,” she said.